ARE YOU STILL PLAYING WITH YOUR FLUTE?

SYNOPSIS
This poem his about a persona who reminisces the time he/she spends when in a village.
There are many things that are now luxury to her such as listening to the melody of the flute
itself, gazing at the evening rays, collecting dew drops, or enjoying the fragrance of flowers.
The village is now unpopulated as many have moved to the city. Now that she has moved on
with her life, she wonders whether the flutist is still playing the flute. This is because, there
are many challenges in the world today such as the world is dying, the unemployment issue
and the people are disunited because of different political views.
THEMES

Family commitments
Priorities in life
Neglect of ones duties

MORAL VALUES

We should be aware of our family commitments and carry them out properly.
Everyone has priorities in, life and we should know what is important and what is not.
Following a hobby is good but there is a time for work and a time for play.

POINT OF VIEW
The poem is the first point of view.
The person is addressing another person and describing a situation to him.

Rhetorical question
Descriptive and questioning
Simple style and no rhyme

TONE, MOOD AND ATMOSPHERE

Sombre and regretful

Serious atmosphere

POETIC DEVICES

Imagery e.g. blown by the wind, depth of my heart

Alliteration e.g. fragrance of flowers
Symbol e.g. flute, song
Repetition e.g. Are you still playing your flute?
Figurative Language Metaphor e.g. The melody concealed in the slime hollow of
bamboo Personification e.g. sick rice field

HE HAD SUCH QUIET EYES

SYNOPSIS
This poem is about a lady who falls in love with the wrong man. She is fascinated with his
eyes that seem to lure her to give him paradise. The man has a pair of quiet eyes that she
does not realise they are not that quiet. As she is charmed by the eyes, she does not listen
to the advice given by other people who are concerned with her behaviour. In the end, she
realises her mistakes and is broken hearted.
THEME

Betrayal of love
Personal experiences
Relationships that are meaningful

MORAL VALUES

Dont be naive and believe everything we are told especially in matters of the heart.
Be wise when choosing friends.
Falling in love is normal but one should be careful.
We must learn from the experience of other people.
We should be very careful not to give in our principle in order to please other people.

TONE, MOOD, ATMOSPHERE

Refelective
Sad and happy
Sympathetic

POINT OF VIEW
Second and third person points of view
LANGUAGE & STYLE

Simple and easy to understand

Simple style with rhyming scheme

MEANING OF WORDS

sighs long, deep audible breaths

eyes a pair of organs of sight
advice guidance
desolate unhappy and uninhabited
pleasure-seeking looking for a feeling of happy satisfaction
dice a small cube with each side having a different number ranging from 1 to 6
layered arranged in layers
lies intentional false statements
realise become aware
compromise agree
paradise heaven
render provide or give help
imploring begging desperately
wise having knowledge and good judgement